"Live a Little,” my second studio album (third overall) as a member of the Pernice Brothers, was released 10 years ago today – October 3, 2006. Back when records came out on Tuesdays.
IMO, 'LAL' is the Pernice-Pernice-Pinkerton-Walbourne-Berkery incarnation of the Pernice Brothers at the peak of our powers. We'd been touring together for a couple years at that point and were good & salty as a unit, as Joe liked to say. And we’d already cut an album together, 2005's "Discover a Lovelier You," which had great songs (“Amazing Glow” and “There Goes the Sun” in particular), but the performances and the sounds felt canned to my ears (a word of advice, fellow drummers: NEVER agree to play AN ENTIRE ALBUM on an electronic drum kit, even if you're the new guy in the band).
We found the sweet spot on LAL, though. Everyone plays their ass off on the record. Just a few of many highlights: Peyton's easy-like-Sunday-morning solo on "Grudge F*** (2006)" and his Honeyman-Scott-ian work on "Conscience Clean"; Bob's sweet guitar licks during the long fade on "Zero Refills"; and James's burner of a solo that caps "Somerville."
We got awesome sounds laying everything to fat, two-inch tape with Mike Deming (known for great work with the Lilys, Beachwood Sparks and on the first Pernice album, 1998's “Overcome by Happiness”) behind the desk at Studio .45 in Enfield, Conn . Mike also did a lovely job arranging and conducting the horns and strings heard throughout the album. (Side note: I’d hear Mike could be a little intense, but he and I got along great. I’d like to think it’s because I’m a very efficient worker in the studio, but I think it was mostly because he’s from Pittsburgh and he really respected me for knowing that Yinzer rocker Donnie Iris was a member of both the Jaggerz and Wild Cherry before finding success on his own).
Most importantly Joe had written some AMAZING songs for LAL. Of all the songs I’ve ever played on, "Somerville" might be my favorite- and I swear I'm not just saying that because a guitar lick I suggested made it into James' solo at the end. Every damn thing about that song is perfect to my ears (though the snare – my Ludwig 5 x 14 Supraphonic, which I still have - could TOTALLY be louder in the mix. There’s always the reissue… ). "Zero Refills,” “PCH One,” “High as a Kite,” and “How Can I Compare” are all right behind “Somerville.” LAL was STACKED.
And I have very fond memories of making this record. We layered everything so I cut my tracks first. Just Joe, Deming and I camped out for a week in the dead of the Connecticut winter in January 2006. Joe and I stayed downstairs from the studio, falling asleep to ESPN while keeping a close eye on the percolating Hot Stove (I believe the Josh Beckett-for-Hanley Ramirez swap was consummated during these sessions). In the morning we’d hang out drinking coffee for a couple hours at a local Dunkin’ Donuts (Joe: “Don’t worry, Gavone, this is good practice for when we’re old men.”) waiting for Deming to rise. Peyton came by a few nights and made AMAZING meals. Dude can COOK, ya know.
And I got to play drums to Joe’s incredible songs in the big, beautiful live room at .45. I can still hear the sound in my head. My Ludwigs have never sounded as sweet as they did in that room. And I can still see Deming in the control room, pumping one fist in the air in approval (pretty certain he was holding a lit bowl with the other fist) as I was playing those crazy fills at the end of “Zero Refills.”
Those were seriously good times making great music. Go put "Live a Little" on now. I might be biased, but I think it holds up in a very big way.
-PB, 10/3/1